An increasing global demand for beauty injections and fillers carries a hidden and geological cost. The disposable needles used in these procedures are made from stainless steel alloys containing minerals such as chromium, nickel, and iron. The extraction and consumption of these essential materials—which are also vital for clean energy, defense, and the economy—may increasingly be affected by the growing demand from the beauty industry.According to Shafaqna Translation Service, over 14 million stainless steel needles for cosmetic treatments are used and discarded annually worldwide. Stainless steel is a combination of iron, chromium, and often nickel.These materials are critical due to their importance to the economy, national security, and clean energy technologies (such as electric vehicle batteries), and their supply chains are vulnerable to disruptions caused by war or shortages.
They are not easily replaceable.The rising demand for cosmetic needles intertwines with vital demands from other sectors:Clean energy: Demand for chromium is expected to increase 75-fold between 2020 and 2040 due to the transition to clean energy. Nickel is also essential for boosting energy density in lithium batteries (increasing electric vehicle range).Defense and construction: Stainless steel is crucial for manufacturing aircraft, warships, missile parts, and construction.Additionally, these cosmetic treatments have hidden environmental costs because each needle has a long carbon footprint. These materials must be mined, transported, melted, produced, shipped to use sites, collected in special containers for safety, and finally incinerated.The demand for these minerals is linked with issues such as mining conflicts, concerns about the environmental and social impacts of extraction, and even debates about mining from deep seabeds or the moon.While the beauty industry alone is not responsible for making these materials critical, it is part of a story that shows the costly environmental and economic burdens of the global desire to remain youthful on finite world resources.
